The Minister for Social Development, Ms Bathabile Dlamini, will on Tuesday, November 05, meet and engage with the older persons of Makwassie, North West Province, to discuss their socio-economic challenges.

Minister Dlamini has raised a concern about the perceived abuse of older persons by financial companies that sell them financial products they do not need as well as loan sharks that allegedly effect payments from older persons’ grant accounts without authorisation.

“The Department is currently exploring avenues to intervene for older persons where real financial abuse is taking place” said departmental spokesperson Lumka Oliphant.  

The Minister is expected to use the meeting with elder persons to discuss this matter.

The visit to Makwassie comes days after the first ever Senior Citizens’ Parliament, organised by the Department and the Gauteng Legislature, was held on October 21.  

“At the special sitting of the Legislature, older persons appealed to government to assist them with income generating programmes to supplement their grant income” Oliphant said.

The Minister is expected also to use the meeting with older persons in Makwassie to encourage older persons to participate in the Department’s newly launched initiative that links social grant beneficiaries (particularly the care givers of children receiving child support grants) and other vulnerable groups to meaningful socio-economic opportunities.

The meeting with older persons is held under the banner of the Department’s Project Mikondzo – a service delivery improvement initiative aimed at improving access to the Department and its entities’ (The South African Social Security Agency and the National Development Agency) services in the poorest wards of the country.

Minister Bathabile Dlamini will be accompanied by NW MEC for Social Development Collen Maine, the Mayor and municipal councillors.

Place: Leeudoringstad, Lebaleng Sports Ground (Maquassi Hills Local Municipality)

Time: 10h00 

Date: 05 November 2013

-TDN

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